Get Students to Focus on Learning Instead of Grades: Teach Them HOW to Learn

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Get Students to Focus on Learning Instead of
Grades Teach Them HOW to Learn!

• Saundra Y. McGuire, Ph.D., Director
• Center for Academic Success
• Adj. Professor, Department of Chemistry
• Louisiana State University

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Desired outcomes

• We will better understand why students spend
  little time studying and do not know how to
  learn
  
• We will have concrete learning strategies that
  faculty can teach students to increase critical
  thinking and we will be committed to trying some
  of these strategies in our classes
• We will have more resources for our students
• We will view our students differently
• We will see positive changes in our students
  performance and self-perception this semester

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Reflection Questions

• Did you study a lot in high school?
• When did you learn the conceptual structure
  (relationships between basic concepts) of your
  discipline?
  
• When/why/how did you to learn this?

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Characteristics of Todays Students

• Working more hours
• More ADD/ADHD
• Interested in obtaining credentials
• Feel entitled to an A or B if they consistently
  attend class
  
• Few time management skills
• Few learning skills

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The Engaged Student
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Why dont students know how to learn or how to
study?

• It wasnt necessary in high school
• - 33.4 of 2002 entering first year
  students spent less than six hours per week
  doing homework in 12th grade.
  
• - More than 45 of these students said they
  graduated from high school with an A average.
  
• Higher Education Research
  Institute Study
  
• High Stakes Testing in high school forces
  teachers to teach to the test.
  
• Students think everything they need is on the
  net
  

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How does the university exacerbate the problem?

• Orientation programs that stress fun, recreation,
  and campus organization involvement
  
• Counselors who assist students in scheduling
  courses back to back with no breaks between
  
• Others?

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How do faculty members further add to the problem?

• By assigning homework and giving tests that
  require little, if any, higher order thinking
  
• By assessing learning too infrequently
• By putting notes on-line and advising students
  they dont need to purchase the textbook
  
• By having little ability to teach students
  concrete learning strategies

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So, what can we do to improve student learning?

• Help students understand the learning process
• Require them to use effective learning tools
• Assess and provide feedback as often as possible

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Rote Learning

• Involves verbatim memorization
• (which is easily forgotten)
• Cannot be manipulated or applied to novel
  situations
  
• (e.g. remembering phone numbers, dates, names,
  etc.)

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Meaningful Learning

• Learning that is tied and related to previous
  knowledge and integrated with previous learning
  
• Can be manipulated, applied to novel situations,
  and used in problem solving tasks
  
• (e.g. comparing and contrasting the Arrhenius
  and B-L definitions of acids and bases.)
  

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Counting Vowels in 30 seconds

• How accurate are you?

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Judgment the ability to make decisions and suppo
rt views requires understanding of values
Evaluation
Combining information to form a unique product
requires creativity and originality
Synthesis
Identification of component parts determination
of
arrangement, logic, semantics
Analysis
Use of information to solve problems transfer of
abstract or theoretical ideas to practical situa
tions
Application
Identification of connections and relationships
Interpretation
Restatement in your own words paraphrase
summarize
Translation
Verbatim information memorization with no
evidence of understanding
Recall
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Keys to Learning Based on Cognitive Science
Principles

• Deep factual and procedural knowledge of a
  discipline is required to solve complex problems
  
• Learning is a continuous process repetition is
  the key
  
• New knowledge must be tied to existing knowledge
• Metacognition (thinking about thinking) is
  important
  
• Learning should involve both sides of the brain
  and several learning styles

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Experts vs. Novices

• They think differently about problems

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What intelligent novices know

• Learning is different from memorization
• Solving problems without looking at the solution
  is different from using the solution as a model
  
• Comprehension of reading material must be tested
  while the reading is in progress
  
• Knowledge is not handed out by the instructor
  it is constructed by the learner

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Average Retention for Learning Activities
(Source National Training Laboratories, Bethel
, ME)
5 Lecture
10 Reading
20 Audio-Visual
30 Demonstration
50 Discussion Group
75 Practice by Doing 90 Teach Others/Immedi
ate Use of Learning
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We Can Turn Our Students into Intelligent
Novices All of them CAN learn!

• Teach them the difference between learning
  (meaningful learning) and memorization (rote
  learning)
  
• Help them determine their learning style
• Teach them specific learning strategies
• Implement pedagogical strategies that make them
  use the learning strategies

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The Study Cycle
Phase 1 Read or preview chapter(s) to be
covered in class before class.
Phase 2 Listen actively, take notes, participate
in class. Phase 3 Review and process class n
otes as soon after class as possible.
Phase 4 Intense Study Session. Repeat
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Intense Study Sessions

• 2-5 minutes Set Goals
• 20-50 minutes STUDY with FOCUS and
  ACTION (Read your text, create flash cards,
  create maps and/or outlines, work problems
  -without peeking at the answers, quiz
  yourself) Achieve your goal!
• 5 minutes Take a break

• 5 minutes Review what you have just
  studied
  
• Repeat

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Good notes are essential for meaningful
learning
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Cornell Note Taking Format
Notes on Taking Notes, 2/6/03
Recall Column

• Uses of notes
• identify major points
• identify minor points
• There are 4 Kinds of Notes
• Running Text
• Formal Outline
• Informal Outline
• Cornell Note system

Reduce ideas and facts to concise summaries and
cues for reciting, reviewing and reflecting over
here.
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Concept maps facilitate development of higher
order thinking skills
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Mapping
Notetaking Styles/Formats
Modified Outline
Running Text
your own symbols
Formal Outline
paragraph
Roman numerals
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Compare and Contrast
Concept 1
Concept 2
How are they similar?
How are they different?
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Outline Concept Map

• Note-taking Styles
• Running Text
• Formal Outline
• Informal Outline

Notetaking Styles
Informal Outline
Running Text
Formal Outline
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Create a Chapter Map
Title of Chapter
Primary Headings
Subheadings
Secondary Subheadings
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Learning Styles

• Visual
• concept maps
• charts, diagrams
• Auditory
• lectures, debates, discussions
• Kinesthetic
• simulations, field trips,
• research projects

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The Role of Academic Support Centers in
Facilitating Learning

• Provide faculty and TAs with information on
  characteristics of their students and on
  learning strategies they can teach students
  
• Assist faculty in advising students about
  effective study skills (Absent Professor
  Program)
  
• Help students identify the problem with their
  performance (e.g. vowel counting vs. word usage)
  

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• What Learning Strategy Can You Teach that Might
  Improve Student Performance in Your Course?

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Strategies that have worked at LSU

• Integrating study strategis techniques into class
  structure.
  
• Teaching and requiring concept mapping
• Setting up collaborative working groups in class
• Pop quizzes and different approaches to testing
• Using motivational techniques

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In conclusion

• Our students CAN change their attitudes and
  behaviors about learning. BUT, we must help them
  do this and hold them accountable for meaningful
  learning.

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Final Note

• Please visit the CAS website at
  www.cas.lsu.edu.
  
• We have on-line workshops that will introduce
  you and your students to effective study
  strategies techniques. Please feel free to
  contact me at smcgui1_at_lsu.edu. I wish you great
  success this semester.
• Saundra McGuire

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References

• Bruer, John T. , 2000. Schools For Thought A
  Science of Learning in the Classroom. MIT Press.
  
• Robinson, Adam. 1993. What Smart Students Know.
  Three Rivers Press.
  
• www.cas.lsu.edu

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B-31 Coates Hall Louisiana State University www.
cas.lsu.edu